Jealousy
by Shortgirl007
Summary: What happens when Stephanie finally sees the error of her ways. Babe story, but Morelli friendly.
1. Chapter 1

_I might have found my muse… not sure. Just don't throw any tomatoes. J_ _These characters aren't mine, I just play with them._

_Twelve Sharp spoilers_

**Jealousy**

Chapter One

Jealousy is a dangerous emotion. Some people kill over jealousy, some people steal. Others leave lovers or friends. Some people get angry and others get even. Then sometimes, when you least expect it, jealousy changes your life.

For the second time in two weeks I stood before a man I love and saw jealous eyes stare back at me. Eleven days ago it was Joe. Today, it was Ranger and it only lasted a moment, but it had been there.

Joe had spent the night and was just leaving when I headed for the door to get the newspaper. Just as my hand grabbed the knob, Joe grabbed my other hand and yanked me into a toe curling, morning after kiss. When I dropped the handle the door slowly crept open. What I didn't realize at the time was that Ranger was standing on the other side of the threshold. When the kiss came to an end, I turned around and came face to face with Ranger. His eyes were wide, lips tight and he was holding in a breath. And for a few brief seconds I saw something sweep across his eyes that I had never seen before. It took me a minute for my brain to realize what it was. Jealousy.

Ranger recovered quickly. The look was gone and he replaced it with business Ranger.

"Sorry to interrupt. Just stopped by to see if you can help out Tank tonight. He needs a decoy."

I cleared my throat as Joe gave me one last peck on the cheek then headed out the door to work.

"Um. Sure, I'm having dinner at my parents at 7. What time do you need me?"

"Meet Tank down at the club around 8:30." Ranger stated a little more bluntly than was necessary.

"Sure thing. Is this sexy decoy or slutty?" I asked in hopes of easing the mood.

Ranger turned on his heel and tossed his reply over his shoulder, "Just be yourself."

As I watched him walk down the steps and out of my building a deep ache coiled in my stomach. I stepped back into my apartment and closed the door. Suddenly, I wasn't feeling very well. After a quick call to Connie to let her know I wouldn't be in for the day I walked to the bathroom to splash some water on my face.

As I was drying my face with a towel I got a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My hair was still mussed from my night romp with Joe. My lips slightly swollen; my neck red from attention. I dropped the towel and took a step closer to the mirror. Who was this person looking back at me? Surely it wasn't me. This woman staring back wasn't the Stephanie that laughed easily and loved much. This was a woman that used. These were the eyes of a woman that took from many and never offered in return. This was the image of a woman that could cause pain to flicker across the face of two men she loved and do nothing about it.

The knot in my stomach pulled tighter.

I pushed away from the sink and headed for the living room. I grabbed a pillow as a fell onto the couch. I threw my arm over my eyes in an effort to will away the image of myself that continued to flash across my mind. Even with my eyes shut, the image lingered.

I thought back to when the feeling first started. Five days ago I stood outside of Ranger's hospital room and told Joe that I loved him. While Ranger was inside possibly dying I told Joe exactly what he wanted to hear. Two minutes later, when the nurse told me Ranger was going to be ok and that he wanted to see me, I pushed away from Joe and ran into the room. With Ranger's limp hand in mine, I brushed his hair aside and placed a tender kiss upon his cheek. As I lifted myself from his side I glanced to the door. Joe was standing there watching us. And for just a second, jealousy stood there with him.

When visiting hours were over and I was assured that Ranger was going to be fine, I walked out of the hospital with Joe. I walked to his car, walked into his house and then right into his bed. I spent the next five nights with him. On the sixth day, Ranger was released from the hospital. I spent the next three nights playing nurse to him at his apartment.

A day later and I was back in Joe's bed.

I rolled over on my stomach and buried my head in the pillow. The tears hit the cloth even before my head did. I cried for Ranger. I cried for Joe. I cried for the Stephanie that I use to be. But mostly I cried because I knew nothing was ever going to be the same again. The time for change had come. I knew the knot in my stomach would never go away until I took responsibility for what I had done. For far too long I had lead on two men. I had taken from them what they had each offered me. I had taken from them equally. I had loved them equally. But I had never once stopped to think about what that was doing to them. And sadly, it had taken for me to see it in their eyes to realize that my actions were hurting them. My inability to choose was hurting them. My failure to love either of them completely, with more than half my heart, was causing them pain.

When the tears finally stopped, I sat up on the couch and reached for the phone. I knew what I had to do and no matter how much it was going to hurt, for the first time ever I was determined to do it.

I called Joe first. "Yeah?" he said in way of a greeting.

"Hey Joe."

"Missing me already?" he teased into the phone.

"Can I come over tonight? I'll bring pizza."

"Sure thing cupcake."

"Thanks Joe."

"Hey Steph?" he said before I was able to hang up. "Everything ok?"

I took a deep breath before responding. "Not yet Joe, but it will be. I'll see you tonight."

I hung up the phone and dialed Ranger's cell. He didn't answer so I left him a voicemail.

"Hey Ranger, it's me. Something's come up tonight and I can't do the decoy thing for Tank afterall. Can you reschedule for tomorrow night? If that's ok, give me a call. Maybe after the decoy thing we can grab a bite to eat. I need to talk to you. Bye."

I hung up the phone and took a deep breath. The knot was still in my stomach but the weight on my shoulders had eased. After tomorrow, I prayed that my life would finally be back on track.


	2. Chapter 2

**_FAIR WARNING – This chapter doesn't seem too Ranger friendly…. But have faith in me ladies. Just remember, Tracy's a babe.. Tracy's a babe. I also apologize for not being meaner to Joe. _**

_These characters aren't mine, I just play with them._

_Twelve Sharp spoilers_

**Jealousy**

Chapter Two

Ranger snapped his phone shut after listening to Steph's message. The knot in his stomach pulled tighter. As the anger rose in him he searched for a release. When he could taste the hatred on his tongue he gripped the cell phone harder and threw it across the room. Even as he watched the mangled pieces fall to the floor of his apartment, he knew that this simple act would do nothing to relieve the pressure building inside his body.

He hated himself for being upset. He hated himself for feeling jealous, but mostly he hated her. This had to end, he told himself. No longer could he sit back and watch her go to him time and again. No longer could he sit back and say nothing while she spent hours in the cop's bed. He was finished feeling weak because of this woman. It was simply something he would no longer tolerate.

With a plan set in his mind, Ranger reached for the phone on the kitchen counter. He punched in a familiar number and waited for an answer.

"Hello", crooned the soft voice of a woman.

"Sofia, it's Carlos."

"But of course it is. I was beginning to think that you had completely forgotten about me. It's been so long since we've…. bumped into each other. What has it been 2, 3 years?"

"It's been too long. Are you busy?" Ranger asked.

"For you Carlos, I'm never busy."

"Meet me at our usual place in an hour?"

"I'll be there. What a wonderful day this is turning out to be after all", she sighed on the other end of the line.

Ranger clicked the phone off and returned it to the counter. He took a deep breath and once again began to feel in control. Yes, this was exactly what he needed. Sofia was the perfect person to help him release some of this unnecessary tension. Soon, Stephanie Plum would be nothing more than a fading memory.

Stephanie arrived at Joe's just as he was changing out of his work clothes.

"Be down in a sec." He yelled as she came through the door.

Stephanie laid the pizza on the bar and did what she could to calm the butterflies in her stomach. Though she knew this talk had been a long time coming, that fact didn't make what she was about to do any easier.

The moment Joe stepped into the room, he knew it was over. The look on her face said it all.

Joe walked to the bar and grabbed a slice of the warm pie. They stood in his kitchen like two strangers, neither saying a word. After a few silent minutes, he walked to the fridge and grabbed two beers. As he handed one to Stephanie, he smiled and said, "Cheer up cupcake. It was fun while it lasted."

Stephanie couldn't look him in the eye. Her head fell forward and a single tear slid down her cheek. Joe stepped to her and gently lifted her chin with his finger. He kissed away the tear, then pulled her in close. "Don't cry Steph."

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"There's nothing to be sorry for cupcake. It is what it is. We had a good run and now it's time for us to do something else. Life will go on."

"I never meant to hurt you Joe."

"You hurt me no worse than I've hurt you."

Stephanie leaned back so she could look Joe in the eyes. "Let me just say this, ok. I need to apologize to you for stringing you along for so many years. I wish I could take it all back."

Joe smiled slightly and said, "Well that's a shitty thing to say. I thought the last couple of years have been ok. Yeah, we've had our ups and downs but I remember a lot of good times. And despite those few down times, I wouldn't trade my time with you for anything in the world."

Stephanie stepped back out of his arms. "Dammit Joe, you aren't making this easy. I feel like shit and I want to apologize to you. I need you to know that I never meant to hurt you, that I never meant to make you jealous or cause you pain. If I could take it all back, I would. I wish I had been a better person. I wish…" Stephanie's voice cracked as she was consumed by tears. They flooded her eyes and made her knees weak causing her to collapse to the floor.

Joe knelt beside her, wrapped his arms tight against her body and thought about all the other reasons he had hoped to kneel beside this woman. He had known that this day would come. Joe had loved her the best he could. He had given her all of himself that his past would allow, but ultimately he knew it wasn't what she needed or wanted. He knew that it would take a much stronger force to claim Stephanie Plum's heart. Joe's love came with a toaster, a drooling dog and a warm home. Deep down, he had known all along that Stephanie wasn't a toaster type of girl.

She had spent the night with Morelli again. Ranger knew it because he had seen it with his own eyes. He told himself that he was just out for a ride after his encounter with Sofia but somehow that ride had lead him to the Cop's neighborhood. And sure enough, as he drove past the house at 4am, her car was there and the light in the bedroom window flickered against the darkness.

If driving through Morelli's neighborhood hadn't been enough of a mistake, Ranger's next stopped didn't prove to be any better. He wasn't sure why he had chosen to drive to her apartment. He didn't have a clue why he had broken in knowing good and well that she wasn't home. But as he stood at the foot of her empty bed he did know one thing for sure. He wanted her to feel the same pain that he was feeling. Ranger wasn't a petty man, but for the first time in years a sense of vengeance swelled inside his chest. He wanted Stephanie to feel those same, sharp pains of jealousy that were now coursing through his veins. Standing in her space, surrounded by her things, Ranger made himself a promise. He swore then and there that he would have his revenge.

Early the next morning, Stephanie stumbled into her own bed. It had been a long night with Joe. She had yelled and he had listened. She had cried and he had comforted her. They had held each other one last time. Sex wasn't involved because it didn't need to be. Last night had been about repairing friendships and resolving affairs. Last night had been about Stephanie taking the first step in reclaiming her life.

As Stephanie tried to will herself to sleep, her mind raced with thoughts of what she had to do next. Joe had made it easy for her. He hadn't argued and he had simply understood. Something told her that the conversation with Ranger wasn't going go as smoothly. As her mind fell to thoughts of Ranger, she realized that she hadn't heard back from him. It was unlike him to not respond to a message from her and her first thought was that something bad had happened. As a new sense of fear shot through her, she reached for her phone on the nightstand.

She punched in his number and waited. After 5 rings, she was expecting his voicemail to kick in. Instead, a soft female voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Um.. I'm sorry, I must have the wrong number", Stephanie muttered into the phone.

"That depends on who you're looking for. This is Carlos Manaso's phone," The woman said.

"Oh. Is Ra.. I mean Carlos available?"

"Yes. He's right here."

After a few seconds, Ranger was on the phone. "Hello?"

"Ranger? It's Stephanie."

"What's up Stephanie. I'm in the middle of having breakfast right now." Ranger said.

Stephanie fumbled through her words. "Oh. I was just checking.. I mean I was just wondering… Um, what I wanted to know was if you had gotten my message about the distraction last night?"

Ranger didn't skip a beat. "Yea I got it. We moved the distraction to tonight. Anything else Stephanie?"

"Uh. No Ranger. That was it. See you tonight."

Without saying goodbye, Ranger disconnected the phone.

"It's not like you to be so cruel Carlos," Sofia said to him over breakfast.

Ranger glanced over the newspaper in front of him to the woman across the table. "I don't recall asking for your opinion."

Sofia tossed her long black hair across her shoulder as she laughed. "My, my. This Ms. Plum must be one helluva woman to have gotten you so worked up."

His eyes darted back down to the newspaper. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well of course you do Carlos. Do you think that I really believe you invited me to a fancy restaurant yesterday just to check up on me?"

"That's exactly why I invited you to lunch." Ranger replied.

Sofia laughed again, "Bullshit Carlos. Three years ago, an invitation to lunch from you was also an invitation into your bed."

Ranger looked her in the eyes. "I'm sorry you misunderstood."

She met his gaze, "Oh, I didn't misunderstand. When you called me, you had only one thing on your mind. But the minute you looked at me and realized that I wasn't this Stephanie person, you had lost all interest in… well anything interesting. I know it's been a few years since we had seen each other but don't tell me that I have completely lost my touch."

Ranger smiled, "No. You haven't lost your touch."

"Exactly Carlos. So tell me why you invited me to lunch, then back to your apartment so I could spend the afternoon and evening by myself?"

"You're exaggerating. I was here most of the night. I just took a short drive, I wasn't gone that long."

"Physically, yes you were here. But your mind has been elsewhere," Sofia said.

Ranger sighed. "I'm sorry I wasted your time. I'll call one of my men to give you a ride back to the restaurant for your car."

Sofia slid from her chair and made her way to the opposite side of the table. With her butt resting against the edge of the table, she placed a soothing touch on top of Ranger's hand.

"You didn't waste my time Carlos. We've been friends for many years. While we may no longer be lovers, that doesn't stop us from being friends. Now tell me about this woman that has so consumed your heart and why you're hell bent on making her hurt."

Ranger turned his palm over and gripped Sofia's hand. Then he told her a story about jealousy.


End file.
